HBC Publications

Bigger Government

The Growing Federal Bureaucracy

Government spending, deficits, and debt are at record levels. But another important measure of the size of government is the growth of the Federal bureaucracy.

While the private sector continues to contract, the government is expanding. Since enactment of the “stimulus” bill, the private economy has lost 2.3 million jobs, while the Federal Government has added 25,000.

These Federal jobs are not temporary positions. Even after excluding defense and the temporary hires for next year’s census, the President’s budget shows the Federal workforce growing by more than 102,000 in 2009 and 2010.

Moreover, these figures do not reflect the additional Federal jobs likely to result from cap-and-trade legislation, the planned government takeover of health care and student loans, financial regulation, and other parts of the President’s agenda. It all adds up to a hiring spree not seen since the Great Society, according to The Washington Post.